Tractor attachment for automobiles



G. ks. luAcoBs. TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOB AUTOMOBILES..

A?PLlcAlpN/il'ublwv. 1, 1946.

-PanalApn 6,1920;

C. s. JACOBS.

` f TRACTOR ATTACHMENT Fon AUTOMOBILES. v AFIVPLICATION FILED NOV. 1,1916.

Patented Apr. C, 1920.

george Iaco'f v I atte-imago Yio v piece 7 of the chassis.

A springs ITED sTATEs PATENT ormoni GEORGE s. JACOBS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIGNon To 'STANDARDDETROITTRAC Ton. 00,01? DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION.or-MICHIGAN.yv

TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FORAUTOMOBILES.

erence being had therein to the accompany- I ing` drawings. Y This invention relates'to a tractor attachment for automobiles whereby a car of standard touring or roadsterA type is converted'V Yreadily into a tractor capable not 'only of Acarrying considerable load but of drawing heavy trailers.

The invention includes means whereby the change may be made ,from a standard equipment of the lcar to the tractor form without, difficulty and change in any of the control mechanism, the motor end ofthe car being undisturbed so that the yielding protect the engine to a large degree from road shock. l

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, .f v Y Figure 1 is a plan, partially broken away and in section, of 'an automobile of standard type with a tractorattachment that em- .bodies features of the invention;

Fig. 2 isa view in side elevation thereof, partially broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is a view in endA elevation of an automobile and attachment; and l Fig. 4 is a view in'sectional detail. Y

As herein shown, a chassis 1 of an automobile of standard type, the forward end portion of which carries a power plant indi-V cated diagrammatically at 2 and is mounted in approved manner on bearing springs, not indicated, t has a Y rearwardlyr extending torque tube 3 which also housesrthe connections between the power plant and the mechanism carried in the differential casing/1 of j the rear axle 5. Thehousingof this axle terminates in flange heads 6. Normally the flanges 6 carry the spring shackles by which a transverse spring is secured on the axle in such manner as to seat thecambered end ln equipping'the car with the device, the

torque tube 3 which is connected at 8 with the power lplant by a ball and socket or Specification of VLetters Patent.y

at Detroit, in the county of Viayne 4member 6 with vthe'end portion'of the shaft Patented Apr.e,192o. Application led November 1, 1916. VSerial No. 128,840.l

equivalent connection, isswung up againstV` i the chassis and aV fixed laxle 9v is secured across` the car` beneath it, as Yby clips 10, and

blocks 11 .resting onk the shaft and bearing upward against the side members 12 ofthe chassis. Traction bearing wheels 13foflapproved type and tread appropriate for the purpose of. a tractor, are independently journaled on the end portionsof'the shaft 9,

cach carrying an internal gear 14. A driving pinion 15 on each end of the vdifferential member 16 of the rear `axle shaftmeshes with the companion internal gear. VAsl the shaft 9 is stationed forward of the axle 25,: this arran ement drives the traction wheels j normally orward in the customary manner'.

A draft plate 17 with clevis `holes 18 therethrough, is supported .on the vdifferential housing 4 asbyy a*U-bolt 19 and is rigidly l connected tothe shaft9 by `forwardly-extending links 20 that arerivetedor other- 'wise secured to the plate 17 yand are connectv ked to the shaft 9 as by appropriate bolts 21 and plate 22, preferably at the point of intersection and connection of the shaft 9 with forwardly extending lmembers, 23

which likewise connect the flange heads 6 of the axle housing' with-the side vmembers 12 of the chassis.-v

It is'understood `that the membersy connecting the brace rods with the chasis frame flanged if necessary, not only to secureV 'are vof commercial sections, ironorsteel,

strength and rigidity,"but also to afford` 'proper connection with the channel .bars and ,like portions ofthe chassis.

In order'to further stii'en `the construe-if.`

rigidly in line, links 24 lconnect each flange 9, preferably by means of collars 25 en- `tion and also -to hold the gears and pinions l l As va result of this construction a ltractor l attachment is had that isquickly appliedto a light touring car of well yknown type fin such manner as to utilize the regular mechanism of thecar to produce the desired variai l. 'tions'lnspeed while at thefsame time the f l 105 the car to carry a very heavy loadH'As theV j 'l construction is sulicien'tly rigid,'-"'to1"enable` forward portion: off the chassis is not 'dis-i i turbed the Yspring"supports 'of the motor `plant 'are not disarran'god. 'and therefore-the :"110

latter is not subject to'sh ock.jV

mobile drive wheels, and wherein the auto-l 10 mobile. is normally provided with drive wheels and a main driving axle including a rear axle housing connected to the forward power plant by a torque t'ube pivotally connectedat` theforward end to the housing, said means comprising a main shaft adapted to be rigidly secured to the chassis between the power plant and the rearaxle,

.meansefor rigidly supporting the rear axle against the sides of the chassis, draft bar.

Iconnections extending rearwardly of the housing and forwardly to the chassis frame, traction wheels journaled on the transverse shaft end-portions, and gearing connecting each-traction wheel with a differential drive 'member of the rear axle.

2. As a meansl for transforming an automobile into a tractor by removal of the automobile drive wheels, land wherein the automobile is normally 'provided -with drive 30 wheels, 'a chassis, and a rear driving axle embodying differential mechanism and shaft housed in a casing and articulated by a torque tube through a Apivotal connection with the forward portion of the chassis, said means comprising a shaftrigidly secured to the chassis between the drivingaxle and the power plant, means for securing the rear driving axle rigidly against the under side bearing wheels each journaled on an extremity of the shaft, internal gearing carried by the traction bearing wheels, pinions on the differential shaft of the rear axle each in mesh with a companion wheel gear, and draft rigging secured to the rear axle and connected by brace members to the forward portion of the chassis. I 3. As a means for transforming' an automobile into a tractor by removal of the automobile drive wheels, and wherein the automobile'is normally providedwith drive wheels and a main driving axle including a rear axle housing connected to the forward power plant by torsion members and a differential shaft in the housing, comprisv ing a main shaft rigidly .secured to the chassis forward of the rear a`xle, means for rigidly supporting the rear axle on the c/hassis, traction wheels journaled on the main shaft end portions, a gear carried by each traction wheel, a pinion secured toveach differential shaft section in mesh with a traction wheel gear, a radius member connecting the end portion of each differential Y shaft section with the corresponding adjabe mounted on the drive shaft member of of the rear portion of thechassis, tractioncent portion of the Amain shaft, and means detachably connecting the end portions of the housing of the rear axle with the chassis.

4. As a means for transforming an automobile into a tractor by removal of the automobile drive wheels, and wherein lthe automobile is normally provided with drive wheels, a chassis having a spring-supported forward portion, and a rear axle housing connected by torsion members to the chassis and normally connected directly lto the chassisby spring means, said means comprising means for rigidly securing the rear axle tol the chassis whenV the spring support is removed, draft rigging supported onv the rear axle and connected by rigidmembers to the axle, Va main shaft rigidly secured to the chassis parallel to and in front of the rear axle, radius` members rigidly connecting the outer portion of the shaftwith the rear axle, traction bearing wheels journaled on the end portions of the shaft, a gear on each traction wheel and pinions each adapted to the rear axle in mesh with a traction wheel gear.

5. As a means for transforming an automobile into a tractor by removal of the automobile drive wheels, and wherein the automobile is normally providedV with a power plant, a rear axle, power transmission means connecting the power plant and the rear axle, and a main frame mounted above the rear axle, said means including a dead axle, side and rear members, the dead axle being located in advance of the rear axle-.and fixedly secured to the side mem- -bers and the main frame, the side members being secured to the main frame forward'of the dead axle, and extending tothe rear to parts associated with the rear axle, and the rear members being secured to parts associated with the'dcad axle andthe rear axle, traction wheels rotatably mounted on the' dead axle and driving means on the rear axle for rotating the traction Wheels. e

6. As a means for transforming into a tractor an automobile having its drive-V Wheels mounted onA a differential-carrying drive axle construction, and wherein Vsuch axle construction is utilized in the tractor by removal of the drive wheels, said means including pinions positioned on the normal drive wheel supports and driven through the normal drive, .al dead axle secured to the 120 chassis in advance of the normal drive axle, i and traction wheels carried by the dead axle and having internal gear faces, said dead axle being positioned to produce a drive gear Qrelation between the pinions and. gear faces while maintaining the normal activity of the differential structure to permit differential movement of the traction wheels.

7 In a machine of the class described, thc combination with a longitudinally extending 1,335,836 v v v BL framework, the rear -a'xle and the axle housing, of a transversely extending bearing rod lyin in advance of the rear axle, a spacer bar etween each end of the bearing rod and the adjacent end ofthe axle housing, a draft plate, a pair of draft connections from the bearing rod to the draft plate, a driving Wheel on each end of the bearing rod, an annular gear within each driving Wheel,

and a pinionon each end of the rearl axle 1C ANNA M. Donn. 

